Cleveland Chamber Music Society to hold first ever Youth Chamber Music Competition

In the spirit of TV shows like “America’s Got Talent,” the Cleveland Chamber Music Society will hold its first ever Youth Chamber Music Competition on Saturday, April 11 at 2:00 pm at the Lyndhurst Community Presbyterian Church. The competition and concert are free, and all musicians, music educators and friends of chamber music are encouraged to attend what is sure to be an exciting afternoon of music.

Billed as the “Battle of the Bands,” five ensembles representing the Cleveland School of the Arts, St. Joseph Academy, Beachwood High School and Lyndhurst/South Euclid’s Charles F. Brush High School will compete for cash prizes. “We are delighted that longtime board member Dr. Melvin Arnoff is leading our effort to create the region’s first Youth Chamber Music Competition,” said CCMS president Richard Fried. “Mel is an accomplished pianist, composer, and professor of education, who teaches piano and is totally committed to the future of chamber music.”

The contestants are already getting into the spirit, and you can follow their daily posting on CCMS’s Facebook page. But it’s more than the opportunity to win cash prizes that excites these young players, it’s the chance to do something they love — to perform chamber music with their colleagues. “Art, creativity, using your brain, and being conscious are all part of one thing,” Cleveland School of the Arts trumpet player Nate Brown said during a recent WKYC Channel 3 interview promoting the competition. “Being a musician makes me better at everything!”

Whatever the outcome on Saturday, the opportunity for young chamber music players to perform in front of an audience will be something they will remember for years to come. As Richard Fried pointed out, it’s all about the passion for chamber music and the building of future audiences. “The Cleveland Chamber Music Society’s mission is to spread the love of chamber music, and we believe that this starts in the elementary and secondary schools.”